Daily Devotions
Philippians
"According to my earnest expectation and hope..."
Text: Philippians 1:20
THE PLACE OF THE LORD IN OUR LIFE
What is the place of the Lord Jesus Christ in our life? Put this question to the apostle Paul and his reply would be as it was written in the following text.
“According to my earnest expectation and hope
that in nothing I shall be ashamed,
but with all boldness, as always, so now also
Christ will be magnified in my body, whether
by life or by death.”Philippians 1:20
1. A quick survey of how Christ Jesus featured in Paul’s life (in Philippians)
a) Paul saw himself as a bondservant of the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:1).
b) All believers enjoy the status of “saints” in the Lord Jesus (Philippians 1:1).
c) With the Father, the Lord Jesus dispensed grace and peace (Philippians 1:2).
d) He looked forward to the Day when Jesus would return (Philippians 1:6).
e) He was deeply impacted by the affection of the Lord Jesus (Philippians 1:8).
f) Fruits of righteousness stem from abiding in Christ (Philippians 1:11).
g) He gladly suffered imprisonment for Christ (Philippians 1:13).
h) His joy was in seeing the Gospel of Christ preached (Philippians 1:12,18).
2. Paul’s deep commitment
a) He desired to see Christ magnified in his body.
i) Whether by life.
ii) Or by death.
b) “(His) earnest expectation”
i) He expects this from himself.
ii) He made this his intense focus.
iii) He will magnify Christ by his life or by his death.
c) “And hope”
i) This is the humbling part.
ii) He expects much from himself but subjects his hope to the grace and will of God.
d) “In nothing (he) shall be ashamed”
He would never consciously bring shame and dishonour to the name of the Lord. Thus he guarded his thoughts, words and deeds so that everything he did would be glorifying the name of God!